I'll Be Seeing You
by MavsGirl22
Summary: It all started when he was 15, that's when I started taking him on jobs with me. 8 years later, the call had come. Sora Arrows had done it again. Well, that's what I had come to call him anyways, Arrows. But, that night something went terribly wrong...
1. Prologue

**A/N: **Alright, so it seems that you have found my latest creation! Congratulations! Here's the deal with this fic… one of my "do before I die" goals in life is to publish a book. Yes… publish… as in 'make money'! So this is probably going to be that book, however… of course several details will have to be changed, such as names of people, places, and such. So here's my disclaimer: I OWN THE STORY! I OWN THE PLOT! Haha, however, I do NOT own the characters from Kingdom Hears, duh: )

SO! I thought that I would write a Kingdom Hearts version as I am writing my book, so that all my lovely fanfiction fans and readers can enjoy it! So here's my gift to you…

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Prologue

Ash and soot singed his nose, burning his eyes and blurring his vision. He cursed again as he stumbled through the veil of smoke obscuring his path, falling into a wall and crashing to the ground. His body badly burnt and his mind fading from lack of oxygen, he heaved himself to his feet and staggered along the wall, using his hands to guide him through the thick shroud of smoke. His vision weakened further, to the point that he couldn't differentiate between the blackness of the smoke surrounding him and the darkness that was slowly closing in as he gasped for air. The sound of crackling flames and broken lumber filled his ears as the house was slowly crashing down around him. His lungs burned with desperation as unconsciousness settled around him, and he collapsed once again to the floor, narrowly missing the huge beam crashing to ground behind him.

He had seen people die; it was in his line of work, some right in front of his eyes. Some say that your life flashes before your eyes, or you realize the meaning to your existence. But, none of that seemed to unfold as he lay in the ash, awaiting his last breath. As Dr. Lei drew his last shallow breath, filling his lungs with smoke and soot, he barely heard the firefighter's words of encouragement before he slipped into nothingness.

It was beautiful. The sky was ablaze with color, painted in hues of orange and red from the flames that danced with the stars that twinkled above them. It reminded him of a painting, the way the horizon glowed. Like a sunrise signaling the dawning of a new day. The subtly of color was truly remarkable, the way the flames contrasted against the black sky. It was a masterpiece, an original, and one that he had created.

He chuckled at the illusion as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a silver Zippo lighter. It felt comfortable in his hand as he flipped the cover open and clicked it on, lighting the cigarette hanging loosely in between his lips. "Dr. Lei," he acknowledged out loud as he snapped the lighter shut and blew a small puff of smoke past the lit end of the cigarette. "Number thirty-nine. What a show…"

The device he had used for this job was truly genius. Who knew a watch, some hot wires, and a few kerosene drenched cloths could become a ticking time bomb? Well, when it's placed in the air duct for the dryer of course… No one would ever suspect foul play; perhaps an electrical mishap or clumsy house maid had started the fire?

He smiled inwardly as he watched the burnt remains of the Lei mansion continue to light the horizon in red hot flames, "It was almost too easy," he smirked as he turned on his heels, the edge of his long black coat brushing over the tops of his boots. He reached for the small silver cell phone on his hip as he started up the long winding drive. He flipped the phone open before dialing an unlisted number and waiting for a familiar gruff voice to pick up on the other end. "S, it's Arrows… The Barbeque started late, but the grill is ready." He didn't wait for a response as he snapped the phone shut and returned it to its holster. His gloved fingers brushed over the 9 MM situated in the holster under his arm, and a surge of energy seemed to course through his veins from the contact. He was almost sorry he hadn't used the weapon for this job, but he still appreciated its comforting presence.

As he reached the grove of trees at the end of the drive that hid his black motorcycle out of view, he turned around to take one last look at his masterpiece, reveling momentarily in the successful completion of his thirty-ninth job. He took one more drag on his cigarette before throwing it to the dirt and extinguishing it with his boot. The cinders scattering around in the dirt reminded him of the cinders that littered the night sky behind him. Red and blue lights turned the corner down the street as he mounted his bike and took off in the opposite direction, leaving black tread marks and a spray of gravel in his wake.

_The call had come. The job finished. Sora Arrows had done it once again. Well… that's what I had come to call him anyways. "Arrows." Neither of us was really sure how it got started, but it had become his alias of sorts, and it was hard to even imagine him as Sora Hikari anymore. That name was gone… dead. It died the night he targeted and finished off his first hit almost six years ago. He was just a kid then, only seventeen, but he had completed the job with the grace and poise of a seasoned veteran. I had guided him, of course… 'taught' him if you will. He grew up with the life of a contract killer, and he wore it well. Not that I expected less, he did learn from the best. _

_But don't be fooled… life was never easy for him. Growing up with a drunk belligerent father and no mother never is. But as I look back now, I figure that's what made him so brilliant, a "master of his craft" as he put it. You see, Arrows never really knew his real mother. She died when he was only a few months old, but we'll get more into that later. His father had him off and on for a few years, that is, of course, when he wasn't sleeping in the back of gentlemen's clubs or on the streets. When he was five, his father went missing after a drunken brawl at a night club and Arrows came to live with me after a court order. Arrows hated his father, always has… and my guess is that he probably always will. We haven't heard from the guy since Arrows started high school. He got an unmarked postcard from Chicago when he graduated, but we happily assume that he finally drank himself to death._

_I tried my hardest to give Arrows a good home, well as good a home as a contract killer can make that is... We moved around a lot, as is the nature of the job. But Arrows loved every minute of it, and he basked in the life that he had come to know with me. Of course, I made sure that he went to school and did all his homework, but it was the life of contracts that drew his interest, so when he turned 15 I started taking him on jobs with me… teaching him the ropes so to speak. _

_But back to the night of the Lei contract… After I got the call, I did what I always did. Celebrated… with a bottle of the city's best __Bordeaux__ and a few Cuban cigars. Arrows rarely came straight home after a hit, sometimes it would be a few days before he came to pick up his share of the proceeds. _

_Ah, yes. The money… and lots of it. Contract killing is a lucrative business. People will pay top dollar for a job done right. So much, in fact, that Arrows and I had made quite a business of it, and we each lived more than comfortably on only five to seven jobs a year. I suppose you could consider me his contractor of sorts. The name "Arrows" is infamous in the hired guns' world, but his clients never get the opportunity to meet him. I set up the job, he fills the order. In fact, I haven't actually made a hit since that first job of Arrows' six years ago…_

------------------------------------------_FLASHBACK_-------------------------------------------------

It was one of those nights that time seemed to stand still, minutes turned to hours and the hours seemed endless as Sora Hikari sat waiting silently behind the steering wheel. The limo driver's unconscious body lay in the passenger seat, the chloroform-soaked cloth still lying in the seat next to him. The dark ally way behind the club was vacant, or it at least seemed vacant. He knew there were cameras and bouncers watching him… he glanced at his wrist watch. 1:55 AM… the club closed in five minutes, which meant that soon the back door would open and Victor Jennings and whatever female caller he chose for the evening would be occupying the now empty leather seats in the back of the limousine.

Sora sighed nervously, his fingers twitching as they grazed over the 9MM that was tucked in the folds of the cheap polyester jacket he had "borrowed" from the driver. The silencer stayed concealed in the inside jacket pocket, and his mind raced as he went through the sequence of events to play out for the hundredth time.

His thoughts were interrupted as the back door suddenly swung open and a short heavyset man with salt and pepper hair stumbled into the car, "As always, a pleasure to have you here Mr. Jennings." Sora released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as the club owner helped Victor Jennings into the limo. To Sora's relief, he was alone, "Are you sure that you won't be needing any company this evening?" The man mumbled something incomprehensible before slouching across the seats and laughing obnoxiously.

"As you wish Mr. Jennings," the club owner replied respectfully before turning his attention to the tinted divider window separating Sora from the backseat, and keeping him out of sight. "Driver!"

Sora drew a deep breath and pulled a gloved hand up to crack the small divider window ever so slightly, keeping quite and waiting for the club owner to continue. Rule one of a hit: No words.

"Mr. Jennings will not be having any female callers this evening. See that he makes it home in one piece." The club owner did not wait for a reply before he turned and walked back into the back entrance of the club, which was good because Sora was not planning on giving him a reply in the first place. He rolled his eyes and pulled the divider shut again as the man in the backseat continued to babble incomprehensibly.

Victor Jennings… A 'respectable' name in the record industry. Well, not respectable. Well known, perhaps… mainly for his corrupt business dealings and his way of cheating clients out of thousands and thousands of dollars. He sat on millions of dollars and empty promises, while his clients bargained and pleaded for recognition in the music business. Recognition they more than likely would never receive, as long as they were dealing with Victor Jennings that is.

Word around town was that he was also deep underground in the laundering of certain illegal substances, mainly heroin and cocaine. However, the hire for this particular job was solely based on Mr. Jennings' latest record scandal. Rule two of hits: No hires for drug deals gone bad. The world of illegal marketing spans continents, and is not something that one can easily manipulate. It's dangerous, unpredictable, and worst of all… it's territorial. Drug dealers tend to run with their own kind, meaning that one hit can turn into many, including the hitter. People out for revenge put high stakes on bounties, and will do anything to collect.

No, Mr. Jennings was _not_ a target tonight because he was a druggie. He was a target tonight because Aeris Lovelace had come to him expecting stardom, and he didn't deliver. In fact, he took her for all she was worth, leaving Aeris broke, hungry, and anything but famous. She had come to him as Aerith Gainsborough, a 16 year old girl with hopes and dreams of making it big in the world of jazz music. But after four years, Victor Jennings turned her into Aerith Gainsborough, a 20 year old woman addicted to cocaine and dancing topless at the local strip club. When her father, second in command of what you might call a mafia, found out what had become of his little girl, he pulled her out of Victor's grasp and started looking for a contract. Aerith changed her name and Victor skipped town.

But that wasn't enough to hide him from a contract. After only two months, Sora was tipped off that Victor was back at it in the entertainment business, working from the back room of the Coco Bongo Club. It wasn't long before the plans were drawn and the time had come to put them to action. Though, only seventeen at the time, Sora's partner, his mentor, finally decided that Sora was ready for his first target. He was ready for his first hit.

And ready he was, as he steered the car through the back ally and down the street, towards the abandoned warehouse parking lot that they had predetermined as their target locale. He was relieved that Victor had seemingly passed out, as his ramblings had finally stopped, temporarily at least. He pulled the car into the lot, shutting off the headlights and using the pale moonlight to light his path. It was quiet, deserted. Just as it had been a few nights ago when Sora had spent all night scouting it out to make sure no homeless wanderer had made a home of it.

He stopped the car in the far corner of the lot and killed the engine. The silence surrounding him was thick, and he sat very still for several minutes listening. The only sound he heard was the snoring coming from the backseat and the faint song of a hoot owl in the distance.

He glanced at the still-unconscious driver in the seat next to him before opening the driver's side door and climbing out of the car, being careful to grab the 9MM out of his jacket before it fell to the ground. He pulled the limo driver to the driver's seat, positioning him in the seat with the chloroform soaked cloth in his lap so that it looked like there had been a struggle. He was glad he had remembered not to change the settings on anything after he drugged the man, he fit the seat perfectly. After a few minutes of struggling, he managed to get the polyester jacket back on the driver.

Once Sora was satisfied with the driver, he turned his attention to the back door. He drew a deep breath in preparation before pulling out the silver handgun and screwing on the silencer that he had stuck in the waistband of his pants after pulling it out of the jacket pocket. Reaching out his black-gloved hand, he gripped the door handle and tugged on it to the open the door.

Victor Jennings. He was asleep… out like a light. Snoring and moaning, no doubt dreaming about the call girl that had not come home with him. Sora's brow was pierced with determination as he pulled the handgun up and aimed it at Victor's head…

One shot. It was over. Victor was dead. His blood splattered all over the back window and the new hole right between his eyes was enough to prove it. Sora breathed a slow sigh of relief through pursed lips. "Victor Jennings," he said aloud, in a deep voice that was beyond his young age, "My first hit…" Sora smiled as he wiped the blood from his face with the back of his gloved hand, "What a rush."

----------------------------------------_END FLASHBACK_--------------------------------------------

_His first hit, and certainly not his last… That night started a chain of events for Sora Hikari. It marked a new chapter in his life. It was shortly after that that I started calling him "Arrows". It wasn't until the police released the news of Victor's murder two days later that the realization of what happened set in. Arrows could finally call himself a Contract Killer. _

_The driver had awoken and immediately called 911 from his cell phone when he found the bloody remains of his employer slumped over in his back seat. Of course, he didn't remember a thing. Chloroform has the uncanny ability to not only knock someone out for an extended period of time, but also wipe out their short term memory. He should be so lucky. Other contracts in our line of business would have offed him in a heartbeat to avoid the possibility of a witness. But, my third rule in a hit: Hit ONLY the target… nothing or no one else. _

_Thirty eight hits and six years later… I was receiving a call that the Lei job was complete. Meaning I could pop the cork, light up my cigar, and call our client and relay the message of a job well done. _

_Or so we thought…_

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**A/N: **So… you know the drill right? Read… Review… So… Go review: ) 


	2. I've Got to See You Again

**A/N: **Horray! I was finally able to make myself take a day off from my studies to do nothing! How refreshing! So… introduction of some new characters. BTW, dibs for anyone that knows where I got Kairi's last name from in this chapter…

A little medical lingo you should know before you read the first part of this chapter. "MVA" stands for Motor Vehicle Accident and "ETA" stands for Estimated Time of Arrival…

Oh, and BTW… I don't own the Song "I've Got to See You Again"… Norah Jones does.

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_**I**__'ve __**G**__ot__ to __**S**__ee __**Y**__ou __**A**__gain_

It started out like any other night at Weston Memorial Hospital. The pristine white floors shined with freshly-polished wax in the full emergency waiting room as Dr. Hayden started her shift for the evening. A few minor coughs, a handful of broken bones, and one laceration sat waiting for treatment as she made her way through the department and towards the women's locker room. The trauma bays were full with motor vehicle accidents and the treatment rooms packed with chest pains and asthma attacks. Patients lined the narrow hallways on gurneys groaning and moaning, hoping that soon they might find a room in which to rest.

She smiled with sympathetic eyes as she reached out a hand to a nearby patient who was lying on a stretcher in the crowded hallway, fear and confusion in his face as he anxiously asked for his nurse. Her touch was enough to calm the poor man, and he breathed deeply as she squeezed his shoulder, reassuring him that a healthcare provider would be with him soon.

A night like any other…

The dressing room was relatively empty, and she hurriedly changed into her blue scrubs, hanging her dress pants and blouse carefully in her locker. She took a quick glance in the mirror, sad to inspect the light purple circles that were quickly developing under her violet-blue eyes from lack of sleep. She sighed as she pulled her dark crimson hair into a loose ponytail, brushing her long bangs behind her ears. Satisfied with her appearance, she draped her stethoscope around her neck, pinned her name badge to her shirt, snapped her cell phone and her PDA to her pants and stuffed her pockets with pens and various medical instruments that she commonly used when working the trauma bays. She left the white lab coat in its usual spot in her locker, knowing it would only get in her way if things got busy later.

She made her way to the main nurses' station of the trauma unit, taking note of the full rooms and hallways. She grabbed a chart and started flipping through the pages, "Hey Namine," she greeted cheerily. "What've we got tonight?" she asked the charge nurse, who was busy shuffling through charts and loose papers.

"Um… nothing really out of the ordinary," the blond woman answered, not looking up from her work as she pointed to the electronic board with all the patients' names, including their doctor, nurse, and cause for admission. "Just a few MVAs and one gun shot wound. The usual…"

"What's the ETA on this one?" Dr. Hayden asked as she noticed a name on the board with a little ambulance symbol next to it, indicating that a patient was en route via ambulance.

"Oh…" the charge nurse glanced at the name, "That one actually _is_ a little out of the ordinary…" she chuckled.

Dr. Hayden looked at her questionably, "What do you mean?" she asked as she glanced at the board again. "_Why does that name sound so familiar?" _she thought.

"You'll see…" the nurse answered with a grin, "They should be here any second…"

Being a first year intern in the city's most prestigious Level One Trauma Emergency Department, Dr. Kairi Hayden had made quite a name for herself in her short time as an ER physician. Her fellow doctors respected her, nurses enjoyed her company, and her patients adored her for her sense of strong empathy and caring. She was smart, beautiful, compassionate, and even had a sense of humor. It was no wonder that she spent the better part of her days telling single (and many not-so-single) men "thanks, but no thanks", spending her nights sprinting the halls of Weston Memorial ER, rather than twirling the dance floors of the local clubs…

Maybe, then, it was for that reason that, instead of taking her scheduled time off, she had decided to come to work on this particular night… reveling in her environment of frenzy and chaos that is often the ER. Perhaps it was her denial of yesterday's invitation to dinner and a movie that ended up placing her in that exact moment at that exact time… Never knowing all along that it would indefinitely change her life…

* * *

It was the incessant buzzing of that God-awful cell phone that awoke him, and for one second, he entertained the idea of hurling it across the room and watching it shatter into a million pieces against the far wall. And for that one second it almost seemed worth it… But, reminding himself of his duties, he irately shoved the sheets out of his face and blindly groped for the vibrating menace. He flipped open the cell phone, painfully noting the blinking clock on the nightstand that flashed 1:54 in bright green numbers.

"Yeah…" he answered gruffly into the phone.

"Agent Das… Get your ass over to Colony Grove. 1114 Azalea Lane. I'll meet you over there and fill you in on the details."

He scowled at the receiver as the other line clicked in his ear, indicating his conversation had apparently ended before it could really begin. He cursed out loud as he slammed the phone into the mattress before grabbing for the charcoal black suit that he had draped over a nearby chair only hours ago, when he had showered and changed for bed, hoping for a full night's sleep.

Being an agent in the Special Investigations Unit seemed, most recently, to lack the flare and excitement that Agent Riku Das had hoped for so longingly when he first joined the Academy almost six years ago. He was young then, barely eighteen and only just out of high school. His goals were high, and his ambitions higher, graduating in the top 10 percent of his class. He spent his first few years working his way up the ladder before joining SIU almost three years ago. He had hoped to make a difference, become a driving force in the strong arm of the law, cracking down on hardened criminals and bringing justice to his cause. But three years of sleep deprivation, more unsolved cases than not, and too many criminals getting away with legal technicalities had made Agent Das bitter and sarcastic, seemingly unbelieving anymore in the justice system and its practices.

But he preformed his job, none the less, to the best of his very capable abilities, earning him rank in his department and stature among his peers. So he took off in the middle of the night towards the "better part of town" named The Colony Groves, unknowing what type of crime scene he might find…

The drive across town took less than twenty minutes, considering the lack of congestion on the freeways at 2:30 in the morning. His head throbbed with lack of sleep, but hopefully he would be revitalized by the lukewarm cup of stale coffee in his hand from the Seven Eleven down the street from his cramped one-bedroom apartment. He licked the last drips from the foam cup as he pulled his car to a stop and shut off the engine.

The smell of burnt lumber lingered on the night breeze as Agent Das made his way through the scene, keeping a watchful eye for that voice on the other end of the call that had so rudely interrupted his well-earned slumber. The scene seemed to be right out of a horror movie. He bent down, running his finger tips through the loose ash, feeling the warm soot slid between the pads of his fingers. A few feet away, the remains of what used to be a very large house sat smoldering and a dozen or so fire fighters were still packing up gear and rolling their hoses back into the fire engines.

One such firefighter came over to Riku as he stood up from his crouching position.

"You one of the investigators?" the man asked, his bright green eyes contrasting sharply against the smears of black soot that covered his face and neck.

"Agent Das," Riku answered as he pulled a cloth out of his jacket and wiped his hand on it, "I'm with the SIU."

"Great," the fireman answered briskly, "If you've got any questions to ask, now would be the time to ask them. I'm the Fire Chief, and I'm a busy man. You understand that, huh Agent Das?"

Agent Das chuckled, "You have no idea, Mr…?"

"Just call me Cid." The man answered as he pulled his helmet off his head and shook the loose ash from his blond hair.

Agent Das stepped back to avoid the shower of soot that flew from the tips of the man's hair, "Right… Cid. I don't have any questions for you now, so if I could just get your contact information…"

"Sure thing, boss!" Cid answered enthusiastically as he started digging in his pockets for something to write with.

"Agent Das!" Riku winced at the harsh voice that was calling his name from behind him.

"Excuse me for just one second Cid," he apologized, "and here…" he offered a pen and the back of a card, "write your name, your station number, and phone numbers on this…".

Cid took the card and pen as Riku turned towards the sound of his name. "Leon… so glad you could make it," he smirked as he approached the man.

"That's Agent Hart, smartass," the man answered, his mahogany hair catching the breeze. "What's the damage here Das?"

"Well… _Agent Hart_" Riku started as Cid handed him back the card and pen, "Thank you Cid… We'll be in touch…"

Agent Hart waited impatiently for him to finish as Das started making his way up the winding driveway, away from the smoldering ashes of the house. "It seems to me that there's been a fire," Das answered with a smirk.

"I can see that," Hart responded impetuously, "Any signs of foul play?"

"Foul play?" Das asked rhetorically, "Well, it seems rather early in the investigation to be deciding that… don't you think Agent Hart?"

Agent Hart rolled his eyes irately, "How did I ever get a dip-shit like you for a partner?" he mumbled under his breath.

Das chuckled at his response as they continued up the driveway until something near the edge of the drive caught his eye.

"Have you talked to…" Agent Hart started.

Agent Das waved his hand in a gesture that plainly said 'shut-up, I'm busy,' as he rushed over to a grove of shrubbery at the end of the driveway. He kneeled down while pulling a glove out of the inside pocket of his jacket.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hart asked as he followed Das' path.

Agent Das smiled as he pulled the glove over his hand and picked up the butt-end of a cigarette. "He's a smoker…"

"How the hell do you know that has anything to do with the fire?"

Das ignored his comment as he looked down at the asphalt near where he had found the cigarette butt, noting the long black tire marks on the pavement, "He's also a biker…"

* * *

_Lines on your face don't bother me  
Down in my chair when you dance over me  
I can't help myself  
I've got to see you again_

Arrows waved his hand dismissively, annoyed at the cocktail waitress that insisted that he order something to be sitting at a table. He rolled his eyes, muttering out the side of his mouth that a cranberry juice and vodka would be fine. He felt the young waitress glare at him momentarily before turning on her heels and walking back towards the bar. He didn't care… she wasn't the one he was there to see…

_I've got to see you again  
_

It was the sound of the music that soothed him. The sigh of her voice moved through him in waves, relaxing the tension more and more in Arrows' muscles with each perfectly sung note. He felt calmer just being in her presence, and the proverbial blood on his hands seemed less sticky and red when he watched her. Although, she looked different from the last time he had seen her…

_But no I won't go for any of those things  
To not touch your skin is not why I sing  
I can't help myself  
I've got to see you again_

It had been months since he had last laid eyes on her. Six months, three weeks, and two days in fact… He never minded that she was three years his senior and he joked often in the beginning that it made him feel more like man. That was back when they first met, after Mr. Jennings' "accident" almost six years ago… But her voice still made him smile, and as he sat in the shadows at the back of the small jazz club, the stench of cigarette smoke and cheap wine saturated the air around him, making him feel at home. He knew that she couldn't see him, and he liked it that way. He liked to come here and watch her… it helped him feel human again…

_I could almost go there  
Just to watch you be seen  
I could almost go there  
Just to live in a dream_

_No I won't go to share you with them  
But oh even though I know where you've been  
I can't help myself  
I've got to see you again_

The song ended before he was ready for it to, and she smiled into the microphone thanking the twenty or so patrons that cheered her on from their small round tables and red-cushioned booths.

The applause lifted as the beautiful woman made her way off stage. He hurriedly slid out of his booth and made his way through the shadows towards her as an announcer urged the crowd for "one last round for Miss Lovelace."

He weaved his way through the crowded tables and chairs before finally making his way to the back door of the club, where he knew he would find her lighting up a cigarette for perhaps the third of forth time that night. He thought it was funny how she would only take two or three drags before extinguishing the cigarette with her foot. She had told him once that she didn't want the nicotine to change her voice, and he honestly couldn't bear to think of these nights without that silky smooth voice to bring him back to normalcy.

And sure enough, there she was… standing there in a bright red dress that accentuated every curve on her, making his hands sweat for her. He slinked out of the shadows and wrapped a golden curl around one of his fingers, tugging lightly on it and whispering in her ear, "Blond is a good color for you…"

She gasped as she was caught off guard, pulling from him instinctively and almost spilling her martini in the process. She sighed in relief when she recognized his sapphire eyes and devilish smile, "Jesus Christ… Arrows! You scared the shit out of me!"

He grinned, "You were expecting someone else?"

She shook her head, "Arrows, what the hell are you doing here?" She narrowed her eyes and hushed her voice, glancing around them nervously, "You know Cloud will kill you if he sees you here…"

Arrows ignored her and just smiled distantly, pushing a lock of hair out of her face and focusing his eyes on hers, "I've missed you Aerith. It's been too long." He pulled her into a kiss, his hand lingering on her jaw after their lips parted.

The young woman pushed against his chest softly, rolling her eyes annoyingly, "Don't call me that… It's Aeris. You of all people should understand that…" she mumbled.

He just chuckled as he moved his hand into her hair to mess with her curls.

"Arrows," she sighed as she smoothed out her dress, pulling at invisible wrinkles and keeping her eyes on the floor as he continued to wrap golden blond curls in and out of his fingers. "So I guess you finished your job then?" she asked softly.

His focus remained on her hair as he answered smugly, "Don't I always?"

Aeris sighed, "Yes, well, tonight isn't a good night. Cloud is here and he's taking me to dinner to celebrate."

This caught Arrows' attention, and he paused, "Celebrate what?" he asked, his fingers stationary in her hair.

Aeris sighed and pulled his hand from her face. "Sora…"

His expression plainly told her to not call him that in public, but she ignored his glare and continued sympathetically, "You know that I waited for you. But you're too…." she paused and looked away from him, "You're just too unpredictable. I never know how long you'll be around until you have to leave again and I can't keep living my life like that… Every time you get a job you disappear for months at a time, and as soon as it's over, all of sudden you just show up again!"

Arrows tried to hide the hurt in his voice with anger, "What are you trying to say Aeris?"

She turned back towards him and met his eyes with hers, "Cloud and I are getting married."

He couldn't hide the shock in his expression, and he opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off before he could say anything.

"I'm sorry…. Really, I am…. But you've got to get out of here before he sees you!" she said hurriedly in a hushed voice. "Look," she met his eyes sincerely, "I really wish it would have worked out between us. Hey… it was a fun few years, right? Besides…" she smiled sarcastically, her eyes glittering with unshed tears, "You knew this was going to end at some point… right?"

Arrows just stared at her coldly before turning on his heels, "You're wrong…." he answered as his silver cell phone began vibrating against his belt. He grit his teeth and clenched his jaw as he stormed out of the jazz club, leaving Aeris to watch him disappear as a strong embrace wrapped around her from behind.

"Hey," a gruff voice whispered in her ear, "You ready to go?"

Aeris wiped at her damp cheeks hastily, pulling her eyes from the front door of the club, "Yeah… I'm ready."

* * *

_Arrows would never admit it, but I know that Miss Lovelace broke his heart that night… He was never one for expressing emotion, especially ones that he thought made him look "soft" as he put it. But when I called him that night, I knew something was wrong. But he handled it like the pro he was (the breakup I mean)._

_I told him from the very beginning of that relationship that he should never get emotionally involved with a hire. Of course, he always argued that "Aeris wasn't the hire, her father was"… but it was still a conflict of interest. He first started seeing her when he was staking out nightclubs, looking for Victor. He tried using her as "bait" so to speak… hoping that Victor might find her singing and try to take her back. I think it was her voice that captured him, and it was her voice that probably kept him captured for those six years that they were "together". _

_I don't know if I would say they were in a "relationship" so to speak. Aeris had a quite serious boyfriend throughout most of the time she knew Arrows. A tall young man named Cloud Strife who came from a very wealthy family and was mainly responsible for her rise to stardom. But she always came back to Arrows… _

_He'd go to her after a hit… sit in the back of the club and listen to her sing before whisking her off to the shadows. They'd disappear for days, and when he'd finally come home I didn't dare ask where he'd been or what he'd been doing. For a few months he'd see her secretly almost everyday, and I think it was during those times that he was probably the happiest. _

_But then we'd get another contract, and he'd be gone just as soon as he had come home. Work came first for him… because contracts were his life… _

_But I think that it was his heartbreak that night that gave him the energy to do what he had to do… He had to finish what he had started, because for the first time in his career as a contract killer… Arrows had missed his target._


	3. How to Save a Life

**A/N: **Thanks so much to all those who have reviewed so far!! You guys rock! This will probably be my last update until after Thanksgiving because the next two weeks are pretty booked for me…

BTW, sorry if the first scene is a little over your head. I wanted it to come across as chaotic and real life, so I didn't dumb down any of the medical jargon. This is how it would most likely play out in a real ER…

* * *

_**H**__ow __to __**S**__ave __a __**L**__ife_

The double doors of the trauma dock burst open and all eyes went to the paramedics and the figure on the stretcher that they rushed from the ambulance. A gush of cold air followed them into the ER, causing insensible chill bumps to rise all over Kairi' skin as she rushed over to meet the recovery team.

"What's the story on this one?"

"Sixty three year old male, recovered from a house fire with multiple burns over 63 percent BSA and severe hypoxia. He inhaled a lot of smoke… He's got oxygen going at 10 liters with the Ambu-bag, but his saturations aren't doing any better than 80-85... We tubed him on the ride over because of all the inflammation, but the cuff seems to be leaking. I think he's breathing around it…"

"He's probably got a pnuemo," Kairi continued to listen to the young paramedic's report as they rushed down the narrow hallway, "I need someone to get me an intubation tray and a chest tube setup!"

"He's got an IV in his right AC and LR going wide open but he's third spacing like crazy already. The second IV is in his right forearm has a lidocaine bolus going right now, but he's going to need that one re-sited."

Kairi looked up at the man with a cocked eyebrow, "How many times did he code?"

"We shocked him twice for a run of V. Fib."

Kairi nodded, a responsive sigh exhaled between forced lips, "He's not going to be an easy one," she responded quickly as they stopped at one of the trauma stations, the stretcher surrounded with medical personnel.

Kairi looked down at the patient as the paramedic continued to give her information on the progress of resuscitation attempts of the rescue team. Suddenly, a haunting chill ran down her spine as she recognized who the man was…

"Is this… Is this Dr. Lei?" she interrupted accidentally, not exactly meaning to voice her concern out loud as there was still much more important things to attend to.

The paramedic stopped with an annoyed look on his face as Namine nodded. "Which is why this one is a little out of the ordinary," she explained as she began hooking the man up to the monitors.

Kairi glanced up, unable to hide her shocked expression. She suddenly shook her head of her thoughts and returned to her present situation, "I still need that chest tube and ET tube please. And grab some sterile gauze!" she yelled as she began a quick assessment of the dying doctor in front of her.

A young nurse's assistant handed Kairi a large red toolbox-looking container, "Dr. Hayden here's your intubation kit. What size do you want?"

"Great, thanks," Kairi breathed quickly as she grabbed the man's chin, pulling it up to open his airway. "He looks like a 7 and a half to me. I need you to hold him still while I pull this old tube out and stick a new one down his trachea okay?"

The young girl nodded understandingly as she handed Kairi the necessary tools, "Yes doctor."

"Has anyone called respiratory?" Kairi called out as she grabbed the tools from the young girl. Suddenly the air was broken by the chilling sound that sends any healthcare provider into a state of frenzy….

"He's coding again!" cried one of the nurses as she grabbed for a face mask to begin artificially breathing for the patient.

"If it's not one thing it's another," Kairi groaned. "We need a crash cart and someone get me a ventilator ready!" she yelled as she quickened her pace getting her supplies together while another nurse began chest compressions.

With steady hands, Kairi pulled the old tube out and slid the new one into the man's mouth and down into his airway. "Bag him until we get the ventilator ready," she told the assistant as she grabbed the paddles for the defibrillator from one of the nurses.

"Charge to 200!" she instructed as she placed the sticky pads on the man's chest. "Everyone clear!"

The whirring of the defibrillator hummed in the mist of chaos as electricity surged through the man's body, jolting him from the stretcher. Dr. Hayden placed her fingers against the man's neck, his pulse weak and thready but present. The heart rate on the monitor read 45. She turned to the nurse next to her, "I need atropine and a dopamine drip started. He's going into cardiogenic shock."

"Already on it. Dr. Hayden!" Namine said as she started connecting IVs and bags of fluid. "And lab is on their way to do a type and crossmatch for a blood transfusion."

"Perfect," Kairi said as she started applying sterile gauze to the burns that covered most of the man's body as the respiratory therapist connected him to the breathing machine. "He's going to need some major debridement if he survives the next 24 hours…" she muttered as she noted the deep burns covering his legs, some going all the way to the bone.

The next two hours were spent trying to stabilize the man enough so that he could be moved to an ICU. It was almost 4 in the morning when Dr. Hayden finally sat down in the locker room, exhausted but inspired. Saving lives was what she lived for, and she felt on top of the world after battling for a patient's survival for that long. She closed her eyes and took a few minutes to breathe calmly, feeling the atmosphere around her calm and quiet.

* * *

"What?"

Arrows thought for sure he had heard wrong.

"I said that you didn't finish the job…" the gruff voice answered with more force behind it than usual. "It's unacceptable Arrows!"

Arrows clenched his jaw and pierced his brow in determination, "You must be mistaken."

"He's at Weston Memorial! Finish it!" the voice stated forcefully before the line clicked angrily in Arrows' ear.

He pulled the silver cell phone from his ear spitefully, gripping it with white knuckles. A deep growl emitted from somewhere inside him as he mounted his bike. He slammed the phone into its holster on his hip and sat on the bike for a second, closing his eyes and clearing his head. An unfinished job meant an unhappy hire. And as his predecessor had stated so plainly… it was unacceptable. He drew a deep breath, focusing his thoughts. "Weston Memorial…"

He glanced at his wrist watch. 2:00.

As a plan formulated in his head, the bike underneath him roared to life and he took off towards the West side of town.

* * *

Agent Riku Das scanned his surroundings with a trained eye, no detail going unnoticed. "So the guy they pulled from the house…" he muttered as he sifted through the ashes, "…We got an ID on him yet?"

Agent Hart answered from a few feet away, "The house belongs to Dr. Ansem Lei. So my guess is… Dr. Ansem Lei."

Riku nodded thoughtfully, "Seems the logical chose…"

"They took him to Weston Memorial," Hart continued. "From the sounds of it he was in pretty bad shape. The bastard was lucky to make it out alive."

"Hm…" Riku squinted his eyes, "Ansem Lei… Why does that name sound so familiar?" he muttered to himself as he continued carefully filling plastic bags with anything he found suspicious.

He made a mental note to do some private research on Dr. Lei as soon as he was through sifting through the ashes of the late Lei mansion.

* * *

Arrows had always hated hospitals. The smell… the sounds… the people… It turned his stomach to even be standing in the parking lot. He parked his bike in an inconspicuous parking garage close to the ER entrance and walked the short distance to the main entrance of the hospital to detour any might-be witnesses from IDing his ride if worse came to worse. He pulled off his long black coat and wadded it into a bundle, dumping it into a nearby trashcan. Suddenly his black slacks and dark crimson dress shirt didn't look quite so outplace. He straightened his collar and ran a hand through his chocolate brown hair before stepping on the large black mat that automatically opened the oversized double doors.

At 2:30 in the morning, it was no surprise that the large marble-floored front lobby was relatively empty. A young Hispanic housekeeper was mopping the floors and a couple of people were asleep in various chairs and couches. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of cheap floor polish as he extinguished his cigarette in the ash tray by the doors.

He exhaled a slow steady breath before taking his first step into the hospital, an uneasiness settling into the pit of his stomach. He grit his teeth and shrugged the feeling aside. There was simply no time for this kind of mess; he had work to do… And first on his to do list was to get badge access to the pharmacy.

Arrows scanned his surroundings with a trained eye, looking for an opportunity to present itself. He smirked ruefully as his sapphire gaze landed on the young Hispanic maid at the far end of the lobby. A plan began formulating in the back of his head as he steadily made his way in her general direction.

His footsteps made hollow sounds on the marble floor and ricocheted around him in the stark lobby. It was no surprise that she heard him approaching… She looked up to him, smiling shyly and pushing a few stray bangs behind her ears nervously as he approached. He smiled slyly; this was going to be too easy…

"Hola mi amore," he spoke smoothly, a purposeful heat emitting from his gaze as he caught her eyes. "Como estas?"

Her blush deepened as she returned his greeting shyly, "Hola Senior. Muy beuna, y tu?"

"Estoy mejor ahora," (_I'm better now_) he replied with a slight nod of his head. "Usted es demasiado bonito para ser de fregar pesos," _(You are much too beautiful to be scrubbing floors) _he added as he passed her by, winking.

She smiled and diverted her attention back to the floor, "Gracias Senior."

He turned towards the elevators, pausing briefly before reaching for the up arrow button. With a fake expression of confusion, he looked down either hallway to his sides, and then scratched the back of his neck as if in thought.

"Usted necesita ayuda para encontrar algo?" _(Do you need help finding something?) _the young girl spoke up suddenly.

Arrows smiled devilishly before turning back around to meet her, "Si…Estoy buscando a mi tío. El es un paciente aquí." _(Yes… I'm looking for my uncle. He's a patient here.) _

The girl nodded, "Usted necesita ayuda para encontrar él?" _(Do you need help finding him?)_

Arrows shook his head, "Yo sé donde está, pero no estoy dispuesto a verlo aún." _(I know where he is, but I'm not ready to see him yet.)_

"Por qué no?" _(Why not?)_

Arrows paused to smile broadly, "Quiero hablar con ustedes algunas más." _(I want to talk to you some more.) _He motioned down the hallway, "Conoce algún lugar podemos ir a hablar?" _(Do you know somewhere we can go to talk?) _he asked gruffly.

The girl paused, smiling nervously. "Conozco un lugar." _(I know a place)_ she finally answered.

Arrows lifted his eyebrows, interested, as he gestured for her to lead the way. He chuckled under his breath, 'Too easy…' She darted her eyes from his heated gaze as he followed her to a narrow hallway and through a door marked 'Conference Room'.

He shut the door behind him, "Es donde usted traer todos los extraños reunirán?" _(Is this where you bring all the strangers you meet?)_

It was her turn to have the heated smile as he closed some of the distance between them, "Sólo el más guapo." _(Only the handsome ones.)_

He smirked as he kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth with authority. Lucky for him, she was too busy kissing him back to notice that her name badge had been unclipped from her shirt…

* * *

**A/N: **So, Sora Arrows is quite the bad boy huh? Ladies can't resist his charm… lol

I purposefully made him extra flirty and demanding since he's still pissed about Aeris dumping him…

Review please! I try my hardest to reply to all who give me feedback: )


	4. When The Last Curtain Falls

**A/N: **I know I know… I promise I hadn't forgotten about this story! It's actually something I really think about almost everyday, I just haven't had a whole lot of time to put into it lately. For a quick synopsis of what all has happened so far:

Sora Hikari aka "Arrows" is a professional hitman, who has been learning from his mentor and agent since he was 15. His first hit was Victor Jennings, a corrupt agent in the music industry and accused smuggler of cocaine and heroin, Arrows was 17 then. He is now 23 and has made quite a life for himself as a hired gunman. His predecessor sets up the contracts for him and Arrows delivers the hits.

After killing Jennings, Arrows started unofficially "dating" Aeris Lovelace (aka Aerith Gainsborough), the daughter of the man who hired Arrows for the hit and a victim of Jennings' lies and deception. Aeris, a jazz singer at a local night club now, has just broken up with Arrows, stating that he is too unpredictable and she is marrying her longtime boyfriend, Cloud Strife.

Agent Riku Das and Leon Hart are both SIU (Special Investigations Unit) agents and are at the scene of the house fire that was supposed to have finished Lei. Das is frustrated and discouraged with the lack of law enforcement in his town, but nonetheless is a very dedicated agent. He recognizes Ansem Lei's name and has made a mental note to do some more research on him at a later time.

Dr. Kairi Hayden is a first year intern in the ER at Weston Memorial Hospital. She is a workaholic and is frequently turning down dates and working overtime in the ER. She is a very good doctor and has started making a name for herself in her profession. She and her good friend, Namine (who is the charge nurse) were working when Dr. Lei came into the ER after being rescued by a firefighter. She basically saved the Lei's life.

After leaving the jazz club, Arrows got a call from his mentor, stating his most recent hit, Dr. Ansem Lei, was unsuccessful and for the first time in his career, Arrows missed his target… Arrows is now at the hospital and as has just stolen a badge from the cleaning lady (which, BTW, I rewrote most of that part if you're interested in rereading it).

Deep breath… sorry that took so long…

* * *

**W**hen **T**he **L**ast **C**urtain **F**alls

Her head throbbed. She ran her fingers in circles along her temples, concentrating on easing the numbing ache behind her eyes. Her shift had carried itself long into the night and she dreaded what her head would feel like in the morning.

The young pharmacy tech sighed, annoyingly noting the deafening silence around her.

The smell of various pharmaceuticals wrinkled her nose. Yawning loudly, she stretched her arms up over head to relieve the stiffness quickly developing in her lower back, her yellow scrubs falling in wrinkles along her shoulders. Peeking up at the clock on the wall only discouraged her further. 4:00… three hours left until she could go home to her small one bedroom apartment on Maple.

She glanced around the large empty pharmacy. The other techs were making rounds and restocking, leaving her to answer the phones. She moved her eyes to the phone in front of her, suppressing another yawn. It hadn't rang since they left and she needed some caffeine if she had any hope of staying awake…

* * *

Arrows flipped the badge in his fingers, a smirk in his eyes as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, Red Cherry #9 smearing across his skin. The hallways were quiet on the 1st floor as he followed the signs directing him to the main pharmacy. His boots scuffed loudly on the freshly-polished white tile floors, echoing off the beige walls as he turned the corner.

The door was closed, as he expected, and beside it was a large sign that read, "Main Pharmacy". He took a step towards it when the door suddenly swung open. A large woman in bright yellow scrubs walked out, rubbing her eyes and muttering something about a soda. He quickly slid the badge in his pocket as he passed her smiling, though unnecessarily… she never took her eyes off the floor as she passed him. He turned to watch her round the corner, disappearing out of view. Making a quick mental note of how long it had taken him to get from the vending machines in the lobby, he pulled the name badge out of his pocket.

The monitor beside the door read "Maria Garcia" as he decided he had less than two minutes before the lady in yellow would be back, soda in hand. He silently shut the door behind him as he scanned the room with a trained eye and pulled on his black leather gloves.

In the front was a large desk that ran the width of the room. Behind it stood rows and rows of cabinets full of drawers, each labeled neatly. In a few long strides he was at the cabinets labeled "paralytics". Hoping they were in alphabetical order, he went straight to the middle row of drawers, almost grinning when he pulled open the first drawer and found all the medications to start with an "M". It took longer than he needed it to, but he finally grabbed a vial marked "mivacurium chloride 50mg/100mL".

He checked his watch. 45 seconds left.

He slammed the drawer shut and tucked the vial into his pants pocket as he knelt at the computer at the front of the room. After a few key strokes he was staring at the screen with Dr. Lei's room number and admitting diagnosis. Logging the number to memory he returned the screen to its homepage.

He grabbed a lab coat from the coat rack by the door as he darted out into the hallway with 10 seconds to spare.

The pharmacy tech in the yellow scrubs rounded the corner as Arrows ducked into a nearby men's restroom.

In the solitude of the men's room, Arrows retreated to the back stall as he slipped the knee-length lab coat over his dress shirt. Behind a closed door, he pulled the vial and a syringe he had brought with him from his pocket. With perfect accuracy he quickly drew up the amount from the vial that he needed. Carefully capping the needle, he slid the full syringe into the pocket of the lab coat. With a gloved hand, he wadded the empty vial in a roll of toilet paper and deposited it in the trash can on the side of the stall. He verified with his wristwatch it was ten after four, plenty of time left to finish the job. On his way out, he checked his reflection in the mirror, replaced his gloves in his pockets, washed his hands carefully, and ducked out the door.

* * *

Kairi Hayden couldn't remember a shift that had been as physically demanding as this one had proved to be. She wondered silently to herself if perhaps maybe she should have taken that nice man up on his offer for drinks after all instead of picking up the extra hours. But that opportunity had long since come and gone, which had inevitably led to her sitting at the nurses' station of the ER rubbing at the bridge of her nose and being very grateful for the short break in chaos.

Dr. Lei had been transferred to the ICU over an hour ago, and she knew she should make her way up to see him before she left for the night. She sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall. 4:10.

Deciding to take advantage of the lull of action, she grabbed her coffee and headed towards the double doors leading to the rest of the hospital. "Namine, I'm heading up to check on Lei's progress," she informed the charge nurse on her way out.

"We'll hold down the fort while you're gone Dr. Hayden," the blond said with a smile. "Tell the Attending we're still working on finding his family."

"Thanks Nam," Kairi nodded and pushed through the double doors.

She liked how quiet the hallways were during the late hours at Weston Memorial. Compared to the busy ER, it almost seemed that time had stood still as she sipped on her chocolate mocha and navigated the empty hallways towards the north side of the hospital. When she got to the trauma ICU on the second floor, she slid her badge through the lock that opened the double doors to the rest of the unit.

Dr. Lei's room was labeled "A" and it was the one closest to the doors, and consequently the furthest from the nurses' station. She slipped past it, taking a quick look inside. She was glad to see that Lei had been settled into his room, and was resting on the ventilator. His nurse was not at the bedside, which led Kairi to believe her to busy with paperwork at the nurses' station. Dr. Hayden made her way down the hall to get a quick updated report on Lei's condition.

* * *

"Maria Garcia" activated the locked door of the trauma ICU at precisely 4:14 am.

The ICU hall was relatively empty, save for a few nurses charting outside the rooms and one redhead in blue surgical scrubs that rounded the corner to what he presumed to be the nurse's station. Arrows pulled at the lab coat around his shoulders as he took a sharp right into the patient room marked "A".

Once inside, he drew a deep breath and took a few strides towards the bed, his eyes darting around the room and taking in his surroundings. The doctor lay in the bed quietly almost completely covered head to toe in white bandages with dark red crimson bleeding through in spots. There were so many tubes and wires protruding from the body beneath, he looked more like a lab rat than a human being.

'At this point I'd be doing the poor bastard a favor,' Arrows thought scornfully as he grabbed a few latex gloves from the cart by the bed, the syringe waiting patiently in his pocket.

Arrows took great pride in his work, and he was always looking for new inconspicuous ways to deliver a hit. His most recent research had led him to _Mivacurium chloride_, a drug most commonly used on critical patients on artificial life support. Therefore, it wouldn't be too suspicious if found during an autopsy. Better than that, it was quick, deadly, and accurate.

Once Arrows injects the lethal dose into Dr. Lei's body, the paralytic will travel through the bloodstream, quickly paralyzing every muscle in the man's body, including the diaphragm. As soon as the ventilator is disconnected from Dr. Lei he will no longer be able to initiate his own breaths… Inevitably, he'll suffocate.

Arrows pulled the full syringe from his pocket, glaring through bloodshot eyes at the still body on the bed. "You were almost a lucky man tonight doctor…" he muttered as he uncapped the syringe and connected it to the IV in the man's arm, "Bad news for you that I _never _miss a target."

As Arrow's thumb went for the plunger to deliver the final blow, the sound of shoes scuffing the floor behind him stiffened every muscle in his body.

"Oh, are you one of the new residents on Dr. Lei's case?"

Arrows sucked in a sharp breath and quickly disconnected the needle from the IV, almost throwing the syringe back in his pocket. Cursing silently at himself for not closing the door, he spun around, prepared to give the intruder a lengthy excuse for being at the doctor's bedside.

"Do you mind? This isn't as easy as it looks, you know."

Arrows found his words escaping his grasp as his eyes focused on a young woman in blue surgical scrubs gripping a cup of coffee in one hand and the doorknob in the other. Her dark crimson hair fell freely from the ponytail at the nap of her neck, framing her face and exaggerating the violet colored eyes that were staring back at him with cautious interest. By her tense shoulders and grim expression, he could tell that she was a workaholic and exhausted because of it. The white lab coat on her shoulders was embroidered with "Dr. Kairi Hayden" and "Emergency Services". For a reason he couldn't pin, he immediately regretted being so cross with her.

He sighed to keep his composure, "Dr. Hayden, I presume?"

The woman lifted an arched eyebrow at him. "That's what the lab coat says," she answered dryly, and quickly added, "I'm sorry, and you are…?"

Arrows stole a glance at the lab coat he had "borrowed" from the pharmacy earlier. Noting the absence of a name, he quickly made up one, "Dr. Osment."

Kairi narrowed her gaze on him, as if trying to recollect ever hearing such a name.

Arrows crossed the room, extending his greeting in a handshake. "Joel Osment, I'm one of Dr. Lei's associates from the research team," he added.

Kairi's face flushed and for the first time since she'd interrupted him, she smiled a little as she accepted his handshake, "Oh, of course. Dr. Osment." She paused as she peered around him to catch a glimpse at the still breathing Dr. Lei. "I apologize for being short with you," she said as she refocused her gaze back on him. "It's just been a really long night," she added at length.

Arrows smiled back at her, hoping to pacify her, "No apology necessary Dr. Hayden." Despite the interruption she had thrown upon him, he found himself rather enjoying her company. "And please, call me Joel," he said with an easy smile.

Kairi offered a short smile before quickly sidestepping around him and heading over to the bed. Before Arrows was aware of it, she went about her work, listening to the man's chest with her stethoscope and looking at various machinery around the room. He could tell right off the bat that Dr. Hayden took great pride in her work and was apparently very good at what she did…

"I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with Dr. Lei's work outside the hospital," Kairi said suddenly as she replaced her stethoscope around her neck and stole a glance in Arrow's direction. "What exactly do you do on the research team, Joel?"

Arrows took the conversation as an opportunity to step back towards his target at hand. He placed a hand on the bed rail and recalling what information he had recovered on the doctor during his recognizance, he answered, "I'm mainly involved in production development."

Kairi stopped what she was doing with the IV pump at looked to him curiously. When it looked as if she would ask another question he quickly added, "I'm afraid that's all I can really reveal."

He found it rather amusing when she actually chuckled a little at his response. "Let me guess," she responded with playfully narrow eyes," if you tell me anymore… you'd have to kill me."

Arrows smiled slyly, "Something like that."

* * *

The familiar jingling of a certain ring tone brought Riku out of his daze, causing him to nearly knock the stack of paper of the desk in front of him. He groaned as he reached for the silver menace at his hip, recognizing the blinking number across the screen as the forensics lab main line.

"Agent Das here," he answered coarsely. He cleared his throat to rid his voice of the obvious lack of sleep it held.

"_Hey friend, how goes the research on the late great Ansem Lei?" _

Riku ran a hand through his tangled hair, taking gentle note of the scattered loose papers littering his desk and the nearest floor. "It's…. going," he answered with a sigh. "You found anything yet on those tread marks?"

There a pause on the other end of the line, _"It really is your lucky day, you know that right?" _

Riku rolled his eyes, "I'd argue that if I had the energy."

"_Well, judging by the tread and the wear on the marks, you're definitely dealing with a classic bike." _

Riku didn't know why he was so surprised, for some reason he'd been expecting a newer faster bike. "Really?"

"_My guess is pre Vietnam. Probably early 50s… possibly older…"_

Riku paused as the information formulated in his mind. "There must be only a handful of people in this town that own that kind of bike!" he exclaimed.

"_Well, whoever this guy is… He definitely has taste. I'd get working on getting a list of dealers around her that sell that kind of ride if I were you. And he'd definitely have to get tires like these specially ordered."_

Riku grinned, relieved that something was finally going his way for a change, "Yuffie Kisaragi, if you were here right now I'd kiss ya!"

The young woman on the other line chuckled, _"Easy cowboy, keep your head in the game. You've got work to do."_

"Right, well keep it up Kisaragi. I've got a feeling this is only the start of something big."

* * *

**A/N: **So? I know it's been forever, but I hope the storyline still makes sense to most of you. I give extra points to anyone who can tell me where I got the idea for Arrows' cover name he told Kairi! It's pretty obvious I'd think… but anywho, thanks for reading and don't forget to review:) 


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